The wholesale price of sugar has jumped 23 percent for a 50-kilogramme bag, marking one of the largest movements in recent days.
The commodity is now selling at Sh6,200 from Sh5,050 last month, a move that will have an impact on consumers who are already grappling with an increase in the cost of other commodities.
The increase is attributed to a shortage in the market caused by a disruption in production by factories in western Kenya.
Mr Benedict Gikunda, a trader who supplies Nairobi’s five-star hotels and other entities with the sweetener said he was shocked on Friday when he went to buy sugar and realised that the price had shot abnormally.
“I buy sugar every day for supply to my traders, however, on Friday I was shocked to find out that the cost had gone up by over Sh1,000 for a 50 kilogramme bag,” said Mr Gikunda.
James Ng’ang’a, a retailer in Nairobi, also said wholesalers had increased the price of the commodity.
“The price of sugar has gone up by over Sh1,000 within a span of a few days to sell at Sh6,200 for a 50 kilogramme bag,” said Mr Ng’ang’a.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicates the price of sugar has gone up by 2.5 percent from Sh111 to Sh114 a kilo currently.
A two-kilogramme packet of the sweetener rose by the highest margin in October to retail at Sh230 in most supermarkets.
In August and September, several factories grappled with production hitches due to the breakdown of machines and shutdowns for routine maintenance.
Chemelil and Kibos sugar mills broke down, leading to a huge backlog of cane to be processed, which has impacted on total stocks in the country.
Closure of the factories left farmers stranded with over 14,000 tonnes of the crop drying on the farms and trucks as long queues of tractors were witnessed at different weighbridges disrupting the production of the commodity hence creating a shortage in the market.
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